Page 60 of I'm Looking for a Man in Finance
“But that didn’t stop them from happening.”
“No, it did not.”
James and Sebastian were making their way back toward the house from the dock. Their laughter carrying through the open window above the kitchen sink.
Roxie stepped closer and lowered her voice. “But you don’t really care about any of that, do you? You don’t care that you had a deal. Because you like him. You like him and that scares you, so you’re using that as an excuse.”
Before I could fire back at her, James and Sebastian walked through the back door.
“Are you ready? The boat’s in the water.” If I had thought that I could ignore my feelings for James, it died the second that he flashed me that stupid, gorgeous smile.
“Let’s sail.”
If I thought James was attractive in a suit or dressed down in linen pants, shirtless while sailing was another level ofhot. For a man that worked in an office, he had a surprising amount of back muscles, the kind that rippled as he turned the sailboat in the correct direction to catch the wind. A golden expanse of skin bunched and stretchedwith every movement, making my breath hitch in my throat.
But it wasn’t just about him. It was howfreeI felt, with my hair whipping around me and the salty scent of the ocean in the air. In that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder why I had pushed James away the night before. Why couldn’t I have it all? Why couldn’t I pursue my dream position and enjoy a relationship with a guy I wanted to be with?
“Do you want to try?” James shouted over the wind, pulling me from my thoughts.
I blinked, momentarily distracted by the sun sparkling off his skin. For a second, I worried I might have said my thoughts out loud. “Try what?”
“The boat, Hal. Do you want to sail the boat?”
“Oh, no,” I hedged. “I couldn’t possibly. I don’t know how to.”
James turned, a hand outstretched. “Come on. I’ll show you. Sebastian’s on the sails. You don’t have to worry about anything but catching the wind.”
“Come on,Hal,” Roxie said from next to me. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
“I crash us?” I exclaimed incredulously. Roxie merely waved me off before she leaned in close.
“Catch the wind, Hallie.”
Then she shoved me. Straight into James’s arms.
“Woah, careful.” James’s arms tightened around me, and I couldn’t help but remember how it felt to be held by him last night. “No need to throw yourself overboard just so you can be in my arms again. All you had to do was ask.”
I wanted to roll my eyes and shove him off me. I wanted to feign annoyance at James’s overconfidence.
Instead, I let him hold me for a few seconds longer than necessary.
“Alright, I’ll give it a try. But if we crash and we all die, we can blame you for thinking this was a good idea.”
James only laughed as he positioned me in front of the wheel. His thumbs swiped back and forth on my upper arms.
Once.
Twice.
Just the simple swipe of his thumbs against my skin distracted me enough that I nearly missed his directions as he explained what side of the sails I would want the wind to catch and how much I needed to turn the wheel to steer the boat.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked one more time for good measure.
James paused, his gaze steady on mine. His voice was low, a quiet question in the wind. “Is it okay if I touch your arms to help you steady the wheel?”
I swallowed, a warmth spreading through me at his gentle request. The fact that he’d asked—especially after last night—meant more to me than I expected. Nodding, I breathed out a quiet, “Yeah, it’s fine.”
James then picked up my hands and placed them on the wheel of the boat. “I believe in you, Hal.” I half expected him to step away, taking his warmth and his signature scent of spices with him. But he didn’t. His hands moved from mine to my forearms, his chest pressing into my back. It took everything in me to focus on the task at hand.
